Over the past decade, Vietnam has made remarkable progress at every level, both economically and socially. It is Belgium's only partner country in Asia. Down the years, there has been a significant shift away from support for the refurbishment of war-damaged infrastructure and towards support for social sectors and the rural population, the aim here being to soften the impact of economic reforms that are leaning towards a market economy. The focus of today's efforts is on shoring up the country's institutions, building capacity and improving the population's quality of life.

Between 1993 and today, Belgium has allocated Vietnam a development budget totalling €120 million, €40 million of which comprised loans awarded at favourable conditions and €80 million of which was donated as non-reimbursable aid. In March 2007, at the latest meeting of the Belgian-Vietnamese Joint Committee, Belgium pledged to award €32 million in development aid between 2007 and 2010. The sectors benefiting from this are rural development, agriculture, education, healthcare and the environment. Belgium was the first country to offer Vietnam debt relief and is continuing to play a prominent role in efforts to settle the disputes between Vietnam, third countries and international organisations.

The book draws on examples, trends, overviews and photos to chart the successes, problems and progress that have characterised the collaboration between our two countries. Numerous Vietnamese partners were given the chance to contribute. The book has been published in a French/Dutch version and in an English/Vietnamese version. The French/Dutch version can be ordered as a hard copy, the English/Vietnamese is only available in electronic form.